ANTHOLOGIES
Rise Speak Change: The 2017 Girls Write Now Anthology
At the QWERTY Digital Media Exhibition, our mentees showcased projects that are changing the way we tell narratives. A video overlaid with powerful poetry, thoughtful podcasts, and interactive games created with Twine — our mentees used the skills they learned in our digital workshops to create these multi-platform masterpieces.

Our mentees are defining the digital age by bringing the craft of writing into the 21st century. In our Digital Media Mentoring Program, we boost girls’ tech savvy and creative potential through digital media. In bringing our curriculum and writing approach into the digital age, we prepare the girls we serve to truly be the next generation of writers—on whatever platform they choose. Students are paired one-to-one with a digital media professional and together they transform their writing into digital art. All workshops are facilitated by graduate students at Parsons The New School for Design. Our workshops feature writing and digital skill-building exercises, prompts, and share-outs to diversify participants’ modes of self-expression. At the end of a program year, girls are equipped to tell a story in GIFs, a poem in HTML, and take their words to the next level.Together we embark on a journey of creative workshops, public readings and showcases, opportunities for publication, and more, all to give girls the tools to advance their writing through different mediums.
Introduction by
Foreword by
Moderated by
Read What's Inside
Browse our collection of stories from inside the book. Complete with notes from the author and anecdotes from our mentees and mentors.
Stories from Inside "Rise Speak Change" Coming Soon!
Stories from Inside "Rise Speak Change" Coming Soon!
Unmute
Describe a time when someone's words had a strong impact on you.
My Persecution
This poem explores the interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogue of someone being harassed on the street.
True Recognition
A Muslim girl recalls her experience facing religious discrimination. which prompts her to organize a safe space for likeminded individuals to perform their identities.
Fake Mom
Most days, I act like a fake mom. And I’m good at it, too.
A poem about witnesses who have kept their mouths shut.
Blackout
This poem is a climate-change activism piece that follows mother nature's crystalized tears as they pelt down on Earth, causing a blackout in a hospital where a guilt-ridden man awaits death.
The Inheritance of Hate
A short poem from the thoughts of a Black girl
The Eldritch Crown, an Excerpt
This is a taste of the very beginning of my characters’ journey, and I hope you enjoy it.
The Secret Letter
When asked to write my full name, I am always tempted to include the “ę” in Siębor.
Tangles and Knots: My Life as a Highly Sensitive Person
“Are you okay?” The Hispanic woman wearing a disposable medical apron asks me as she comes back into the x-ray check-up room after scanning my braces. No.
Praise for Rise Speak Change
From the Literary Community
Intersectional Voices in Editorial Print Committee
Every year, the Intersectional Voices in Editorial (IV Edit) Print Committee brings their talents to the task of editing, producing, and promoting this fresh collection of writing from today’s emerging voices. The committee is made up of mentors, mentees, and other volunteers who are passionate about diversifying the publishing landscape.